Fantasy Football Breaking News

Cincinnati Bengals TE Tyler Eifert said he is 100 percent healthy for the first time since the beginning of last offseason.

Huddle Up: Eifert was only able to play in one game his second season due to a dislocated elbow, but Cincy declined to re-sign five-year vet Jermaine Gresham and will be counting heavily on a healthy season from Eifert, who's caught a total of 42 passes for 482 yards and two TDs. Don't overlook him when searching for sleeper TEs in deep leagues.

New England Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount was placed on the Non-Football Injury list because he was not able to complete the conditioning test at the start of training camp. Players have to run 20 sprints of 50 yards in under eight seconds to pass the test, but Blount was only able to complete 12 reps.

Huddle Up: Blount has performed well as a Patriot, but the doghouse is the last place you want to be under Bill Belichick's watch. On that note, Blount might be able to use some advice from fellow RB Jonas Gray, who was benched for being late to practice the week after rushing for 201 yards and four TDs against the Colts late last season. Let's see how quickly Blount can get back in good graces.

Tennessee Titans QB Marcus Mariota will be starting quarterback
this season, according to head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

Huddle Up: It's been widely assumed that this would be the case, but it
sounds like Whisenhunt and the Titans aren't even going to go
through a formal or even informal "competition" with incumbent
Zach Mettenberger. On the flip side, this will give the second-
overall pick the benefit of the first-team reps from the outset
and have him better prepared to face the Bucs in Week 1.

Baltimore Ravens WR Breshad Perriman suffered a minor knee injury during practice Thursday, July 30, and could miss a day or two of practice.

Huddle Up: Not the best of developments for the first-round pick who's hoping to cement a spot in the starting lineup opposite veteran Steve Smith, but it doesn't sound like anything to be overly concerned about either. It'll definitely be on the news radar, though.

Baltimore Ravens CB Lardarius Webb (undisclosed) was placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list Thursday, July 30, because he was not able to pass the conditioning test.

Huddle Up: Last season was a struggle for Webb, who accepted a $2.75 million pay cut to return to the team this offseason. He missed most of OTAs to be with his pregnant wife, and now training camp is off to a rough start. The cornerback will have to pass the test in the coming days to shed the PUP designation.

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady has filed a lawsuit against the NFL asking a Minnesota federal court for penalties against Brady to be vacated. The suit alleges that Brady's punishment was not fair and consistent. It also claims that the appeal hearing 'defied any concept of fundamental fairness' and that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was partial in his decision to uphold the suspension.

Huddle Up: And now the legal wrangling begins. If this is anything like previous NFL suits Brady will be allowed to play while the case draws out, so maybe he'll be on the field for the season opener against Pittsburgh.

Minnesota Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson has worked with the second team through the start of training camp, although head coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday, July 29, that he has seen some improvement from the wide receiver.

Huddle Up: The Vikings still love Patterson's athleticism and game-breaking ability, but he remains raw as a receiver and that makes it difficult to find ways to get him the ball. He'll need to make some major strides in camp to be more than just a dynamic return man.

Dallas Cowboys RB Joseph Randle received strong praise from team owner and general manager Jerry Jones Wednesday July 29. 'We have a player (in Randle) that has the potential -- and we based that on, not on what he did at Oklahoma State or how we drafted him, but by literally being a teammate around here for the last two years -- but he has the potential to be the kind of back that would step in there and be your No. 1 back,' Jones told reporters. 'If he were not here, then I wouldn't feel as good as we go into the season and what might happen,' said Jones.

Huddle Up: Randle will get the first crack at replacing the departed DeMarco Murray. How he performs early will be key as to how much of a committee the Cowboys employ this season. Randle's 6.7 yards per carry average in 2014 was the highest of any running back with at least 50 carries. His ADP is currently Round 4.

Detroit Lions RB Joique Bell (undisclosed) was placed on the physically unable to perform list Wednesday, July 29, as he recovers from offseason surgery. It is unclear what the specific injury is, but Bell did have issues with his knee and Achilles' last season.

Huddle Up: The Lions plan is to move Bell along slowly after offseason Achilles and knee surgeries. Bell will miss the start of training camp, allowing impressive rookie Ameer Abdullah to get more reps with the starters. Bell is still very much in the Lions' plans but his fifth round ADP is too high with the talented Abdullah lurking.

Washington Redskins TE Jordan Reed (knee) has been cleared for full participation in training camp, according to head coach Jay Gruden.

Huddle Up: It's good news for Reed who had a minor knee procedure this offseason. Reed is a talented player but has had trouble staying on the the field. Reed needs a healthy training camp with Niles Paul also battling for the starting tight end job.

Carolina Panthers WR Jerricho Cotchery may have to compete for a roster spot during training camp because of the other players the team has at wide receiver.

Huddle Up: A year after reeling in 10 TD catches on 46 receptions for 602 yards with the Steelers, Cotchery put up roughly the same numbers (48-580) in Carolina but dropped down to a single scoring catch. A regression certainly was predictable, but the addition of draft pick Devin Funchess in the second round and free agent Ted Ginn could make Cotchery expendable.

Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will not be limited during training camp even though he has dealt with injuries over the last few seasons, according to head coach Mike McCarthy. 'We're not counting throws all the time, and it's not a concern as it will be when he's later in his career,' McCarthy said. 'I mean, he's still very physically fit and so I don't feel like I need to protect him because of any type of elbow or shoulder issue, thing like that. But we just work through it, communicate and see where he's at every day.' McCarthy said Rodgers' playing time in the preseason will not change.

Huddle Up: Rodgers' issue last season was a late-year calf strain which he didn't affect fantasy much as he still finished as the No. 2 QB overall. He's right back up there with Andrew Luck again this season, with those two comprising the top tier of QBs on many preseason-projection lists.

New York Jets TE Jace Amaro will be used as an H-back, which might give him a bigger role in the offense than he had last season. Amaro struggled with drops last year.

Huddle Up: The 2014 second-round pick finished third on the Jets with 53 targets and tied for second with 38 receptions last season, but don't forget that the Jets have added target monster Brandon Marshall to the pass-catching mix this season so any gains for Amaro likely will be modest at best.

Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White (knee) had his left knee drained before minicamp, and he could have it drained again before the season ends. White isn't concerned about it, though. He said he's able to recover quickly from the draining and wouldn't miss a game because of it.

Huddle Up: Another sign that age is catching up with the wideout -- he'll turn 34 in November -- who has missed a combined five games and averaged 73 receptions, 816 yards and five TDs over the last two seasons after averaging 102-1,345-8 over the previous three campaigns. Be wary of drafting him too high.

Updating a previous report, San Francisco 49ers RB Carlos Hyde is not believed to be injured and shouldn't be on the non-football injury list for long. Hyde suffered a calf injury during spring drills, but it's not expected to be an issue.

Huddle Up: Seeing the second-year player get back on the practice field will be a welcome sight to more than a few fantasy owners as Hyde has been the 11th RB off the board on average so far in standard-league fantasy drafts with an ADP of 38.

Huddle Up: The seventh-overall pick suffered the injury in OTAs and has been off his feet for the past month, and the Bears want to help ease him back into action. In short, it doesn't sound like much to worry about, but it's definitely a situation to stay on top of.

Huddle Up: Johnson missed some OTA work due to a back issue during the spring, but it's not known if this is the issue that landed the second-year player on the NFI list. When healthy, Johnson is expected to compete for reserve-tailback and kick-returner positions and is well off the fantasy radar.